Friday, November 26, 2010

Lately I've been trying to think of new ways to develop and strengthen my character creation skills. As I was reading some tips from fellow writers, I came up with an idea for a writing exercise. I call it The Epic Speech.

What you do?

Imagine the character you have written is about to fight an incredible battle. The odds are against him/her, and everyone he/she is about to go to war with will likley die. The air is dark and dangeoeus, but the soldiers need inspiration. It is time for your character to give an awesome speech to pump them up. Write what your character would say, how would they say and how would they feel. Do they feel silly and awkward , or courageous and noble? Don't worry about timline, as that is not the purpose of this exvercise. Do however, pay attention to your character's personality. If they have a tendency to cuss, they'lll proabably cuss more than a few times. If your characyter is an elven ranger, he won't be worrying about killing Zergs on Jupiter.

What is the objective?

Creating avoice for your chaarcter is one of the most important objectives in character creation. This is an excercise in creating a character's voice. If you are struggling to do so, maybe you need to think about your character more. Then again, maybe your charcter is struggling to find the words as well. Either way, once you've finished this excercise properly, you may know more about your character then you did before you started.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Today, Bioware released an image to their next game, whatever it may be. It's just a picture of a futuristic military dude aiming a sniper rifle out of a window. Some people say its Mass Effect 3, others do not. If folks recall, there was a rumor awhile back of the company seeking designers for their next game, a brand new IP. It was a military action FPS, with absolutely no mention of RPG. Personally, I think we're looking at the protagonist of Bioware's first non-RPG franchise. It will likely be a shooter game ala Gears of War and possibly feature co-op play. It will be the next step in Bioware's fall from the studio that brought us the richest, most story driven role playing games in the world, to just another studio.

Now their is some evidence to suggest this is indeed Mass Effect 3 or possibly a spin off. The armor the dude is wearing would not be out of place in the Mass Effect universe, and the gun he's holding is remarkably similar to the Incisor Sniper Rifle. There have also been strange codes circling the forum, one suggesting the atomic mass of iron, and another a temperature of -128.5 degrees Farenheit. Could this be a reference to the planet Aequitas in Mass Effect 2, where you discover Husks? Considering the impending Reaper invasion, even a seemingly minor quest like that could bare signifigance in Mass Effect 3. This planet was said to have iron canyons and a surface temperature of -128.5 degrees. But wait, there's more. Atomic MASS of iron, and 128.5 degrees FE. MASS EF? And what about this dude with the gun? Could this be a new companion for ME3? Or perhaps its the villain?

Hypothetically speaking, let's say this is the teaser image for ME3. I would speculate that given the fact that if you killed the council in ME1, Shepard is denied SPECTRE reinstatement in ME2. If you saved the Council, Shepard can deny the reinstatement and tell the council to piss off. They then threaten Shep. If you are reinstated, that still doesn't change a few things. Things like allying with Cerberus, a known Citadel enemy; consorting with the Krogan, the Geth, and (perhaps) the Rachni; performing tasks for crime lords in the Terminus Systems; killing a SPECTRE. These crimes are eerily similar to another Mass Effect character. His name was Saren. Suppose Shepard is declared a rogue SPECTRE, what is the only way to stop a rogue SPECTRE? Send another SPECTRE. And with Humanity being on the Council (or being the coucnil), why wouldn't they have more SPECTREs? Is it possible that the dude is this video is not only the antagonist of Mass Effect 3, but also a SPECTRE hunting Commander Shepard?! Implications unpleasant.

In any event, all will be revealed on December 11th, the day when the trailer is set to premiere. I personally hope that its Mass Effect 3, because if its the other option, well, then bye bye Bioware.

About Me

Hey there! I'm Ryan Keyworth. I am a writer, editor, colorist and letterer. I primarily work in the comic book realm, having written and published my creator owned comic book series, Star Crossed Galaxy. I also have written several articles, columns, and reviews all across the web. You can see some of my works hosted at PCM Tech Help Show and Fanboy Buzz. Also, check out my personal blog, The Writer's Blog!